The Prince and His Slave [REWRITTEN]

Chapter 10 - [Prince]

– Arius –

When I woke up the next morning, I conducted my own private prayers and then decided to get a head start on the work I was going to be asked to do today. Lord Khafirin had already given me today's work that was meant to be copied, so I sat at my desk and got straight to it.

However, almost as soon as I started, there was a knock at my door.

"Come in," I said loudly.

The small double doors opened as Lord Asim, the High Priest of Amun, entered with a warm smile on his face. "Good morning, my Prince."

I smiled at him. "Good morning, did you sleep well, my lord?"

"As well as the gods would allow," he bowed before continuing. "I am pleased to inform you that the Pharaoh requests for your presence at the throne room this morning."

My eyebrows rose. "Really?"

Lord Asim nodded with his smile still on his face.

Lord Asim was an incredibly kind man, though his face and body spoke otherwise. He was large, as in built, and looked a lot like General Boman, who was his brother.

His skin was dark and his head was completely bald. He always kept himself clean shaved and wore nothing but a shendyt and a beaded necklace that was wrapped a couple times around his neck. Occasionally, during prayers or festivities he would also wear leopards skin over his shoulder and across his chest.

He was a very wise man who, almost always, knew what was the right thing to do. It was for this reason that Lord Asim would take the place of Vizier, the most trusted advisor of the Pharaoh, while my mother's father, the real vizier, was not here.

"Come, now," Lord Asim said. "We mustn't keep our Pharaoh waiting."

I nodded before standing up and following him to the throne room.

Once we arrived, my uncle had already started the royal meeting. I was a little bit lost at first, but Tabia updated me on all the information.

Apparently my uncle has decided to start another conflict with our neighbors, and the Hittites have decided to join us as our allies.

And apparently he had to go to Hatti within two weeks to make the arrangements.

Lovely.

"Which brings me to why I wanted you to be here today, Atumankhkare," my uncle started as he squeezed his temples with his finger and thumb. It was clear that he wasn't happy with whatever he wanted to talk to me about. He didn't seem too pleased with whatever he was going to say. "Myself and the court have decided– though I am quite confident that you are going to make a tremendous mess of things– that you will rule the country in my place while I am gone to Hatti."

My eyes widened.

"What?"

"The court believes that having you take his place would keep the stability in the country," Lady Akila said.

"There is no question that there is some instability in Lower Egypt right now, my Prince," Lord Khafirin said. As he was the man in charge of internal affairs, I had no doubts in what he was saying.

Of course, my uncle caused this instability. All of these conflicts he kept getting our country into... well, they hurt Lower Egypt more than Upper Egypt. Lower Egypt, in the North, was much closer to the foreigners that do not like us than here in the south.

"We believe that if the throne is left empty while the Pharaoh is gone, the instability could get worse." Lord Khafirin continued.

"And of course, this would be great practice for you. It is a chance for you to really understand what it is like to be the Pharaoh," Doctor Khamuza added.